Coronation Street viewers were left speechless after believing they had spotted Craig Tinker on the cobbles, more than a year after his tragic death. The beloved character, played by Colson Smith, was the son of Beth Sutherland and was raised single-handedly by his mother after his father Darryl Parkins was repeatedly imprisoned.
Craig's history on the cobbles
Beth and Craig first appeared on Coronation Street in 2012 when Beth began working at Underworld. After their arrival, Craig formed close bonds with Bethany Platt and Faye Windass. In 2016, he met his father at Highfield Prison but chose not to return, as Darryl only wanted to use him as a drugs mule. That same year, Craig applied to the Weatherfield police force and secured a position as a trainee in 2017. As a constable, he was instrumental in bringing corrupt officer Neil Clifton to justice.
Craig's tragic death
Craig's life ended tragically in May following a vicious assault by Mick Michaelis. Discussing his departure, actor Colson Smith said: "It is exactly the exit I wanted for him, and we are all really proud of what we filmed in those final weeks. It was actually great fun. I was walking around covered in fake blood for days, and I was chuffed that I got to work with so many brilliant people in this final storyline." The ITV soap honoured Craig on the first anniversary of his passing, with DS Lisa Connor-Swain saying: "Can't believe it's been a year," ahead of a memorial service for her former colleague.
Fans mistake new character for Craig
During last week's episode, viewers were left stunned after believing they had seen Craig return. Lisa has been investigating the murder of Theo Silverton, and while her partner Kit Green was away in Wales, she was assisted by a newcomer named PC Redmond, played by Mark Newsome. Many fans are dubbing him "the new Craig." Sharing a photograph of Redmond, one Reddit user wrote: "New favourite character. That is all." Another added: "They've rebuilt Craig Tinker from memory," while a third said: "That's the first thought that came to mind when seeing this too! I almost thought it was him lol." A fourth viewer echoed: "Craig lookalike!" with someone else commenting: "I bet Kit bullies him, just like he did with Craig." Another fan wrote: "It just reminds me that Craig was needlessly killed off when he was the only one left who was there for Kirk and was a link to Tim's daughter Faye's existence."
Coronation Street airs weekday nights at 8.30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
